"I've always been out to my coworkers and stuff," Cooper told guest co-host Kristen Chenoweth. "It's just not something I talked about publicly because as a reporter I didn't think it was appropriate. It didn't seem part of my job."

As for what eventually inspired him to officially come out, Cooper reflected on the importance of "visibility," saying he thought "the tide of history only moves forward when everyone is fully visible."

He added: "I didn't want to send a message that there was anything I was ashamed about or unhappy about or not comfortable with."